Racket
by raiko.EXE
Summary: Just what exactly is Sync hiding underneath that mask? — Sync x Anise; Spoilers


Well…since it's been a while since my last piece, I've decided to write again! Wonderful, isn't it? Another Sync x Anise, hopefully humorous this time xD; Plus, I'm totally fueled by Yellowcard's new album, Paper Walls :D

Dedicated to all of those who were kind enough to read Something to Live For.

And Lycara, your LJ is awesome .o. I remember seeing it before and when you reviewed STLF, I was all "Whoa, seemingly number one Sync x Anise fan graced my fic with her presence? SW33T." :DDD

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**Racket**

"Anise." The voice said bluntly. The brunette winced at the sound of her name. Every time she tried avoiding her rival, the girl just refused to ignore her. The thirteen-year-old glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, masking her annoyance as she made her way across the ground floor of the cathedral.

"Arietta." She responded in the same tone, completely unfazed at the glare the former Fon Master Guardian shot at her. The glare only intensified as an I'm-totally-better-than-you grin made its way onto Anise's face. The other girl inwardly fumed.

"Lost the Fon Master already? How irresponsible are you? I can't believe they picked you as Ion's new Guardian." She scoffed, leaning against one of the cathedral pillars, arms crossed in front of her. It had been close to a month since she had been relieved of her position of Fon Master Guardian, and she wasn't going to get over it that easily. _Especially_ since they had given the job to that lazy, money hungry, good-for-nothing-

"Nope, I'm on my way to his room _right now_." Anise added with a jump in her step, not letting the pink-haired girl's words get to her. This, she happily observed, only seemed to anger her rival even more. "Ion can't be late for his daily meetings after all."

Arietta let out a 'hmph' before attempting to pierce through Anise's pride's armor once more. "If I were Fon Master Guardian, I would have had Ion out of his room already."

"But you're not Fon Master Guardian anymore, are you?" The brunette said smugly. "I bet it was all Ion's idea, letting you go. You never did him any good anyway."

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" She screeched, digging her fingernails into her own doll.

"You heard me, _Gloomietta_." Anise seethed, quite enjoying the fact that the pink-haired devil was close to bursting a vein. It was a 'game' they played often, throwing insults. Victories were spread evenly amongst the two, but today, it looked like the pink-clad girl was going to emerge victorious.

Just as Arietta was going to retort, a familiar head of spiky green hair pushed its way in-between the two. It was none other than Sync the Tempest, one of Arietta's comrades. The females stared at the back of his head blankly, awaiting an apology. What they ended up getting however, was a slight glance followed by a rather rude sounding "Stupid girls." Leaving his lips, before his feet continued dragging across the cathedral tiles.

"WHAT!?" The doll-wielders yelled in unison. This however, did not seem to affect the boy at all, as he merely continued on his way without even wincing. He had learned many times before to block out any sound if it came from either of their lips if it was directed towards him, for it would only end in pain on his side. The God General disappeared behind the large, ornate doors leaving the two bitterly shocked.

"Stupid Sync." Anise mumbled. "What's his problem anyway? Everything that comes out of his mouth is mean!"

"And what's with the mask? He's never taken it off in front of us, not even once." Arietta replied. This was also something they did often. When they weren't quarrelling, the two actually had some decent conversation centering mainly about gossip. What teenage girls didn't?

"Is it supposed to make him look mysterious or something? To me it looks stupid!" She added, resulting in a few giggles to escape from their corner.

"I wonder what he is hiding though." The brunette mused. "Does he have like, small, beady eyes or something? Like a mouse?" She squinted for emphasis.

Arietta shook her head. "No, I bet he has big, saucer eyes! Like an owl!" This time, the God General hollowed her fists and brought them up to her eyes like binoculars.

"_Mouse."_ The puppeteer insisted, leaning forward slightly as if it were a challenge.

This only reestablished their earlier argument, as Arietta the Wild's hands left their former position and rested on her hips. _"Owl."_ She insisted, eyes narrowing sharply.

Anise's hands clenched into fists inside their gloved prison, "MOUSE."

"OWL." The pink-haired girl yelled, actions imitating those of the pigtailed girl opposite of her.

"MOUSE!"

"OWL!"

This argument continued for a full moment before they both realized that they were attracting odd stares from those both entering and leaving the cathedral. The two turning an equal shade of pink as they struggled to regain their composure, they continued their talk in a somewhat calmer tone.

"Well," Arietta began, a hint of annoyance and competition still burning in her eyes. "If you're so set on the idea, then why don't you find out for yourself?"

Anise raised a brow at her words. "What? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Simple." The God General replied. "Sneak into his room and take a peek. It can't be that hard, right?"

The puppeteer's jaw dropped despite her rival's eager face. "What!? How and _why_ would I do that!? Go do it yourself!"

"I would, but there's a slight problem." Arietta began. "See, me, Largo, Dist, and Asch were given a mission today by Mohs, so I won't be back here till tomorrow afternoon, so I couldn't possibly do it. But the good thing about that is, that leaves only Sync and Legretta back here."

A sly grin appeared on the pink-haired girl's face as she continued to explain her plan, the Fon Master Guardian's eyes widening in horror as the seconds passed. "Which means that it would be the perfect opportunity! Especially since he and Legretta just got back from a mission that tired them out. They both deserved a break today according to Van."

"No way!" Anise yelled a bit louder than she had intended. "I am _not_ sneaking into his room just to see what's under that stupid mask of his. Not now, not ever!"

"Come on, Anise!" Arietta pleaded. "Don't you want to know what he's hiding under there? I mean, think of the blackmail opportunity!"

Anise's gaze shifted uneasily, not knowing why Arietta was making such a big deal out of this. "Well that's true, but-"

"But nothing!" The black-clad girl interrupted. "It shouldn't be that hard. Sync is a heavy sleeper. I should know. Even with my monster friends ramming his tent he still wouldn't wake up."

"Fine," Anise grumbled reluctantly. "I'll do it."

There was, after all, good reason for her to agree to Arietta's 'trial.' One, she would never back down from a challenge from _her_. And second, Arietta hadn't necessarily required evidence of her completing this task. She could simply say she had done the deed and walk off without having embarrassed herself completely, right?

"Good," Arietta declared as they shook hands, a ritual to seal the deal. "And tomorrow afternoon, as soon as I get back, you have to give me his mask."

"Huh!?" Anise let out, eyes wide. Drat, her former plan had been eradicated. "What do you need the mask for?"

"Simple," She explained. "I need the mask to make sure you've done it. Duh."

'_You could've told me that earlier, stupid snot-nosed brat!'_ The puppeteer's thoughts screamed. There was no way she could back out now, and Arietta would give her hell if she didn't bring back the mask the next day. She sighed as she realized there was no other choice, she'd be ridiculed either way. But then again, a rain of insults from Sync didn't mean much to her, now did they? And he probably wouldn't say anything due to the fact that he'd be begging her for his precious mask back, to hide whatever abnormality usually rested under it.

Anise grinned, that would be a pleasant picture indeed.

"It's a deal then." Anise responded, spirits uplifted by the picture of Sink groveling at her feet. "I'll come back with the mask tomorrow."

"And if you don't," Arietta added, to make things more interesting. "You resign from your duty as Fon Master Guardian."

"WHAT!?" Anise yelled once more. "You know I can't do that! Maestro Trithiem gave me that job anyway."

"Ugh, fine," Arietta pouted, trying to think of a more suitable punishment. "You have to tend for my monster friends for a week."

Anise gulped. Arietta's monsters weren't the cutest things in Auldrant. They weren't the smallest either. And with that size, she shuddered at the shovel she'd have to bring…

"O-okay." She agreed, inwardly cringing. But her face brightened as she realized it was her turn. "And if I succeed, you owe me 10,000 Gald!"

"Deal." Arietta replied, completely unfazed. "Tomorrow it is, then."

"Tomorrow." The pigtailed girl repeated, flames in both of their eyes showing the same intensity. That is, however, until a rather impatient looking Maestro Trithiem burst through the chapel doors.

"Cantor Anise Tatlin!" He called. "What are you still doing here? The Fon master's meeting started ten minutes ago!"

Anise gasped as she realized how long their talk had taken. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Maestro Trithiem! I'll go get him right away!"

Her shoes skidded along the cathedral floor as she ran, hearing Arietta shout "As irresponsible as ever!" after her. But she couldn't worry about that now, she had to get Ion to that meeting, and fast, before she lost her job.

**-x-**

That night, Anise lay wide awake in her room, fingers clutching her sheets as she stared blankly at the ceiling. As soon as she heard snoring from her parents, then the coast would be clear. Although she had been just fine with the idea of stealing Sync's mask before, her heart refused to calm itself. Instead, it chose to race like a sprinter in the middle of a marathon run. Was this for real? Was she really about to sneak into Sync's actual quarters and steal his mask just to prove something to Arietta? And most importantly, _what_ is it that makes him wear a mask at all times in the first place?

A loud snore from the other room made her jump and ceased all other thoughts about the matter. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 1:43. The rest of the inhabitants of the Daath cathedral, excluding the soldiers on guard duty outside, were probably asleep by now. And the guards didn't matter much. It's not like she was sneaking out or anything.

Wordlessly, Anise slipped out of her pajamas and into her regular clothes. Tying her trademark pigtails off with the usual yellow ribbon and strapping Tokunaga on her back, she tried looking confident in the mirror but only saw a nervous, reluctant girl staring back at her. But as she had decided before, there was no backing out now.

And so, with a sigh, Anise tiptoed quietly past her sleeping parents, who would have masked any sound she made with Oliver's monstrous snoring anyway, and crept out the door of their room without a sound.

Looking first to the ground floor down below, the current Fon Master Guardian spied no one in sight before sped across the bridge connecting the west side of the cathedral to the east. Safely behind the door, she took a quick breather before racing past the steps and into the hallway leading to the Order of Lorelei headquarters.

Past the dining room were the vast expanse of levels and rooms housing the hopefully sleeping soldiers. The sheer size of the place never ceased to amaze the puppeteer, even though she had been here many times before. Thankfully, the God Generals' rooms were on the upper levels. And she knew where she was going. Well, she _hoped_ she knew where she was going. The directions had been from Arietta, after all.

And Arietta's direction's stated that she immediately turn right, then take a left, and head for the third door to the right. And so she was, as the girl's shadow was cast over the dimly lit walls. The Fon Master Guardian reached said door sooner than she had hoped. She reached out for the brass doorknob only to jerk her hand back in fear. _'I have to! I have to dammit!'_ She yelled to herself, as she reached out tentatively once more.

She took a deep breath before turning the brass sphere and heading to her ever impending doom. But to her surprise, the wall of metal standing in her way didn't budge. It didn't take her long to figure out why.

'_Locked.'_ She thought as she scolded herself for thinking it would be open to anyone. Digging into her pocket, the puppeteer found what she was looking for; a lone black bobby pin. Sure, everyone thought they didn't work out of the movies, but that's only because they hadn't used them the right way.

Pressing her ear against the metal contraption, Anise slipped the hair accessory into the keyhole and waited. After a few twists and turns, she heard the mechanism click. Satisfied, the brunette stood once more in the same situation she had faced only moments ago.

'_Here goes nothing…'_ She thought, as she took hold of the doorknob once more and turned. This time, to her dismay, it opened. There was no response from the other side, indicating that the room's inhabitants were either fast asleep or not present at all.

After a few moments of mental preparation, Anise held her breath and stepped forward, not knowing quite what to expect.

A few unrecognizable objects lay on the floor of the room, and the puppeteer made note to watch her step. Other than that however, the area was fairly clean with a bookshelf in the corner and a few chairs circling a table in the center. Through the blinds. There was also a closet, but due to the closed doors, the brunette was unable to tell what was inside. A sofa lay by the only window of the room, in which moonlight flowed through faintly. This served as the only source of light in the room, and the silver rays just so happened to fall upon the room's single occupant, whose spiky green hair just barely poked out from underneath the covers.

'_That's Sync, all right.'_ She mused with dread as she proceeded with caution, making note of her goal, which was the gold mask on the bedside table. It didn't take her long to cross the unfamiliar area, seeing as there were surprisingly no traps set to skewer anyone who dared to set foot in the God General's quarters, and Anise soon found her prize in her grasp. The object seemed to wink in the moonlight, and she smiled to herself before shoving the mask in her pocket.

'_Now, to see what he really looks like.'_ Anise thought, as she braced herself for whatever Sync was so insistent on hiding. She bent over the sleeping figure carefully, making sure not to make contact with the mattress or anything on it, but there wasn't much she could see from her position considering the darkness of the room. So, taking into account what Arietta had said about him being a heavy sleeper, the puppeteer stepped closer to the sleeping male and hovered over as far as she possibly could.

Her chocolate eyes widened at her discovery, and she could feel the heat rising up into her cheeks. Sync, as she had just found out, actually had nothing to hide. In fact, at that very moment, he looked like an ordinary, sleeping boy. A sleeping boy whom Anise had just suddenly found…cute? Was that even possible? She shook her head, trying to rid her face of the reddish tint as she leaned in closer.

'_He looks…like Ion.'_ The pigtailed girl observed, as her heart began to race once more. This time however, it was for a completely different reason. One she couldn't place. As she observed the steady rise and fall of his chest, her hand moved on its own will to his forehead, softly brushing his green bangs of of his face. He remained still as she continued to watch him, her thoughts racing.

Before she knew what she was doing, Anise found her face inching forward to meet his own. She took note of his scent that she had never noticed before. It was…nice. Like freshly cut grass mixed with something else that her thoughts couldn't recognize at the moment. It was at this point, she realized, that their faces were mere millimeters apart. Her mind completely shut down as the sound of his rhythmic breathing faded only to be replaced by the loud beating of her heart. Closer…Closer…Any closer and they would be…

Just then, jade eyes sprang to life and widened in surprise as she let out a gasp. The next thing she knew, the puppeteer was struggling to break free of whatever had grabbed onto her wrist. This failed however, and the brunette let out a yelp as she suddenly found herself with her back to the mattress, wrist being held down by a firm grip, two fingers placed on a vital point at the bottom of her neck, and Sync the Tempest hovering above her.

"…Anise?" He asked groggily, recognizing the figure below him. "What are you doing in here?"

Unfortunately for her, his grip didn't loosen.

"I-I…" She began, fumbling for the right words to say. But she knew there was nothing in the world she could say to talk her way out of this situation. Especially since the beet-red on her face chose to intensify instead of fade. He added a raised eyebrow to his unreadable expression, still waiting for an explanation.

"Well, you see, I was just-"

The sound of the door suddenly opening and hitting the surrounding wall cut her off, as a very angry looking Maestro Trithiem, light pouring in from behind him making him almost seem holy, burst into the room and gawked at the sight of the two petrified figures. And he had very good reason to. You see, there were many things wrong with the scene in front of him.

Their current position.

Sync's bedhead and Anise's tousled hair.

The collar of Anise's uniform pulled down quite a bit.

The even distribution of red between the two.

"Do not you two realize that you are underneath the cathedral!?" Trithiem's voice bellowed as they gaped at the sight of the Maestro. Sync gulped, Anise gasped, and they said the only thing they could have said.

"It's not what it looks like!" They let out hastily in unison, scrambling to pry themselves apart and out of the awkward position he had found them in.

The Maestro shook his head in disapproval, "Some of the Oracle Knights in the levels below have been complaining about a certain racket coming from above…" They shrunk under his gaze, not saying a word, but he did not elaborate further.

"Sync, I'm going to have a word with your superior. Anise, I shall speak to your parents afterwards." He beckoned them to follow.

They did so without a word, only shooting fleeting glances at the other from time to time, but breaking eye contact the moment it occurred. The faint tint on their faces remained, and they were both sure it _wasn't_ going to leave any time soon.

Down the hallway the three went, stopping at the farthest door to the left. Maestro Trithiem signaled them to stay behind him until Van was completely awoken from his slumber. They nodded, both a little shaken from the turn of events.

Taking a keyring out of his pocket, the Maestro shifted from key to key until he found the correct one, placed it into the keyhole, and turned the handle.

"Dorian General Grants, I-"

Trithiem froze, dropping the keyring which jingled like a snake as it hit the ground. The blood had drained from his aged face as his mouth hung open.

"Oh Lorelei!"

Taking this as the signal, the God General and Fon Master Guardian rushed to the Maestro's side, only to have the color still in their cheeks darken by about ten shades as they mimicked his actions. Anise covered her eyes with her gloved fingers and shrieked. Sync however, continued to gape at his comrade and superior until Trithiem used his own large palm to shield the green-haired boy's eyes for him.

There, plain as day, were the commander of the Six God Generals and none other than Legretta the Quick with various articles of clothing circling the bed they were in like a halo. The blonde's fingernails were embedded into her superior's back as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"M-Maestro Trithiem!" The woman yelped, shoving her knee into Van's gut as a sign to stop.

At the sight of the Maestro, the Dorian General grabbed the nearest blanket in order to shield the indecency. "Maestro Trithiem! W-What business brings you down here without knocking?"

The Maestro said nothing at first, but turned to the two behind him. "Sync, Anise, please return to your respective rooms before any more of your innocence is tainted." He said gravely.

"Y-Yes, sir." The puppeteer responded, still in shock. She was about to retrace her steps and return to her room before a certain voice snapped her out of her daze.

"I'll walk her there." Sync offered. He looked to Trithiem before following the girl.

"Yes, that would be best." Trithiem agreed, before stepping forward and slamming the door behind him. Muffled shouting could be heard behind the Commandant's door, although they couldn't tell what was being said. Sync walked briskly to catch up with the Fon Master Guardian.

The two walked in a mutual silence to the main floor of the cathedral, the sounds of their footsteps being the only things that reached their ears. It was Anise that chose to break the silence once they had reached the stairs.

"Wow Sync," She began in her usual sarcastic tone. "That was actually kind of nice of you for once."

"Oh please," The Tempest responded, matching her tone. "It wasn't for you. Trithiem would've made me do it anyway."

"Is that so?" She asked smugly. "And I was beginning to think that you actually had a soul in there somewhere."

"None that would show itself in your presence." He scoffed, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Well, would that soul somewhere within you possibly let me borrow your mask?" She added in a somewhat joking matter as they ascended the steps.

"Why ask, you already have it, don't you?" He questioned, pointing to the corner of gold sticking out of her uniform's pocket. "And keep it, I have another one. But it won't get you much Gald if you're planning to sell it."

"That's not it!" The brunette yelled, although keeping her voice low enough to not attract any of the guards outside. "I just need it for…something." She finally declared, not wanting to reveal the petty bet between her and Arietta. "Besides, I think you look much better without it anyway."

His eyebrows raised as they had before, while Anise inwardly gasped and cursed herself for saying such a thing. She was praying to Lorelei that he hadn't heard.

"So that's it…" He mused, leaving a confused look on the girl's face as they crossed the suspended bridge.

"What's it?" She asked, not quite following.

"Simple." The God General answered, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "You want me."

It took her mind a minute to register exactly what he had said before she exploded. "WHAT!?" Anise screeched, her face as red as a ripe tomato.

"You heard me." He said simply, only smirking at her anger. "But unfortunately for you, I don't like whiny, money-hungry girls."

"EXCUSE ME!?" She fumed, stepping threateningly close to the boy. "And what makes you think I like stupid, arrogant guys like you!?"

"Brat!"

"Jerk!"

"Moron!"

"Freak!"

"Idiot!"

"Stupid!"

Their faces were as close as they had been back in his room. Intimidating, green eyes stared into brown ones fueled by anger. He wore a smirk while she had a scowl. And getting tired of the pointless insults, the green-haired boy did what he could in that situation in order to cease their argument.

He pressed his lips firmly against hers in one swift motion.

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise, but it wasn't long before she found them fluttering shut as she melted, tilting her chin upward to better meet his lips. They were, after all, pleasantly soft. She felt him grin before feeling an arm wrap itself around her waist, pulling her close against his warm chest as they stood in the middle of the bridge, not a soul in sight. But what surprised her the most is that she didn't mind in the least.

They pulled away reluctantly after a while, both of their breathing quite uneven. The red was still there as Sync smirked once more. "Nauseating." He let out, although his eyes looked far from displeased.

"Absolutely repulsive." She agreed with a smile, lacing her fingers with his own as they proceeded to her room, which she had wished was farther away. The puppeteer felt him tense up at first, but he eventually relaxed into her grip as they continued to walk.

Once they had reached her door, he turned without a word to leave. Once he was a safe distance away, Anise let a finger rest on her lips, a slight tingling feeling still present, before turning to face his back, which was about to step through the door on the opposite side of the cathedral.

"Good night, Sync!" She called out to him, waiting for a response. He gave her a glance of acknowledgement and a slight smile, before disappearing behind the doorway. Not that she minded the silence. He had already said all that he had needed to say.

**Fin.**

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Wah, longer than I had expected .o. Well, I had a lot of fun writing this and I would appreciate hearing your thoughts as well! You know what to do ;D 


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